Ordered a new MacBook Pro Laptop . . .

[tpenfield]

After over 8 years of use, my 'mid-2009' Macbook Pro is reaching 'end of life'. So, the Admiral said "you should get a new computer" . . . say no more.

I did a bit of armchair shopping and then ordered a custom configured MacBook Pro 13

i7 Processor
16 GB RAM
512 GD SSD

Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) connectors, which are kind of freaky. One port does all (power,video, peripherals, etc)

Usually pricing stays about the same with technology over the years, but it seems that lately, and with Apple products, prices have been advancing a bit. This Macbook was about 50% more $$$$ than the one from 2009, and I don't recall skimping back then. I just hope it goes for 8+ years like my current one has. Probably keep the old one as a spare.

 

[southkogs]

Apple has been getting a bit pricey. I still have a lot of confidence in the builds and the longevity, but I will admit that in the past few years things have changed a little for the worse.

The admiral is still running a MacBook that I purchased in 2006. It's showing it's age for sure, but still hummin' along.

 

[JASinIL2006]

The mst annoying thing (or one of them, anyway) is that you no longer can upgrade RAM on a Mac... you have to buy it from Apple up front. They are in danger of pricing themselves out of the market.

 

[tpenfield]

The mst annoying thing (or one of them, anyway) is that you no longer can upgrade RAM on a Mac... you have to buy it from Apple up front. They are in danger of pricing themselves out of the market.

That's why I got the 16 GB of RAM . . . along with the i7 processor, I hoping for the best longevity. I assume that the prices are creeping up because of strong demand, but everything has a breaking point.

By contrast, it seems that Windows laptop pricing has been fairly stable for decades. With each new one, you get a more powerful machine for about $700 - $1,000.

I think total cost of ownership is still lower on the Mac's, but with the higher prices, it is getting closer.

 

[southkogs]

The mst annoying thing (or one of them, anyway) is that you no longer can upgrade RAM on a Mac... you have to buy it from Apple up front. They are in danger of pricing themselves out of the market.

I'm expecting two things to happen faster than Apple does that to themselves: iPad/Tablet technology and Computer/Notebook are going to converge in a next generation of machines. I also think with solid state drives it's possible that RAM could become a non-issue in the near future as the access speeds directly to the memory catch up.

Like Ted, I still think the long term cost of ownership is lower - but it's catching up for sure.

 

[JASinIL2006]

I work for a medium sized university and we buy quite a few computers for faculty, staff, etc. I'm not really sure in an enterprise environment that Macs are less expensive. In fact, we're leaning toward making PCs the default for everyone unless they can show a compelling reason to need a Mac. They just cost too much, and particularly with the cost of IOS upgrades which often are necessary to maintain operability with network resources, peripherals, new software, etc. Not being able to upgrade RAM is really the straw that broke the camel's back for us.

Interestingly, of the folks who use Macs here, most have some sort of dual boot capability; of those, we find the user is booting into Windows more than IOS, which in essence makes the Mac a very, very expensive PC.

 

[southkogs]

... unless they can show a compelling reason to need a Mac.

LOL ... there is a culture of folks who think they need a Mac mainly 'cuz it looks better while they're working at the local Starbucks.

Depends on your enterprise structure. I know two or three businesses here in the Nashville area that are running medium to large enterprises on a Mac basis and they can show data for overall cost savings. But even my own company (design company) can't convert over completely because much of the software used for CRM, quoting and accounting is Windows based, with no Mac counterpart. I can't even use our own CRM here at the office

Interestingly, of the folks who use Macs here, most have some sort of dual boot capability; of those, we find the user is booting into Windows more than IOS, which in essence makes the Mac a very, very expensive PC.

I dual boot, but only because one of my software packs is only available for Windows. Otherwise, the greater majority my work and time are spent in the macOS world.

IMHO - the average user out there, even in an enterprise, any longer can get away with a tablet for most (probably over 90%) of what they do.

 

[tpenfield]

Since I head up the I.T. function at my employer, my 'plan' or 'vision' is to offer both Mac and PC. Currently we have about 10% Mac's and the rest are Win10 PC's. Most machines are laptop versions. I just need to have the I.T. staff come up the learning curve on the Mac's.

I think with most everything in 'the cloud' and MS Office suite gaining parity between Win and Mac versions, it makes little difference in what an employee uses. It is just a matter of the I.T. support capabilities reaching that same parity.

Similar resistance was seen 8-10 years ago with Blackberry vs. iPhone. . . . Look where we are now

 

[sloopy]

I have a new mac as well. I love it. If you are scared of the USB C you can guy a little adapter that will give you some of your old features back. https://www.amazon.com/HyperDrive-T...8-1-spons&keywords=usbC+macbook+adapter&psc=1

 

[tpenfield]

Got the machine last night

I did the data and App transfer over wireless, since I got to get me an adapter cord (or 2) for the USB-C connector. The transfer took a few hours, but this morning everything is transferred.

 

[Rick Stephens]

You should enjoy the new MBP. We bought one last year and use it to manage a Mac hardware business. While most of the work I do is on a Macpro, whenever traveling we always have a MBP to take the office with us. In the year we have had the 2016 15 inch MBP it has been pretty close to flawless. Half the weight of the previous models and incredibly powerful. I got the upgraded AMD graphics in it and hook up a couple of big monitors when it at a work station - amazed it can easily run three extended monitors.

My one complaint with Thunderbolt3 is all the adapters I have had to buy to use it with the storage we build. My business is storage for pro photographers and videographers, everything from the wedding photographer to Universal Studios as customers. I spent a lot to test the adapters out there, and need a bunch of different ones to accomplish routine tasks. I did find that sometimes the inexpensive USB Type C adapters work as well, or better, that the spendy Thunderbolt adapters. Too many adapters fell short.

One note on enterprise implementations of Macs - IT departments are invested, like any bureaucracy, in their Windows environments. They have experience and job security all wrapped up in their Windows knowledge. You cannot judge Enterprise OS selection solely based on how many corporations and IT departments switch over. There is huge amount of inertia behind the status quo, and it matters little whether one or the other is an obvious better choice.